Waiting
by cowgirl.at.heart
Summary: Despite his feelings for his 2IC, Jack convinces Sam to marry Pete. But will they be able to move on? J/S
1. Advice

Sam sat in her car outside of Jack's cabin. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she tried to figure out what she was going to say to him. Taking a deep breath she collected her nerves and walked boldly up to the front door.

Knock knock

"Coming!" came a muffled voice from the other side of the door. "Cater!" Jack said as he opened the front door. "This is a surprise."

Seeing him standing there smiling at her, her will power began to crumble. "Uhhh …..hi sir…… I need to talk to you."

"Sure. Com on in Carter." Sam followed him inside and stood nervously in the living room. "Can I get you something to drink? Beer? Water?" he yelled from the kitchen.

"Uhhhh no I'm fine thanks sir."

Jack came back into the living room nursing a cold beer in his hand. "So what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"This," she said, holding out a small black velvet box in her hand.

The smile faded from Jack's face. "Pete proposed."

"Yeah," she said gently.

"When?" he asked taking the box from her hand and opening it to reveal a small but sparkling diamond ring.

"Last night."

There was a few moments of tense silence between them. "Well congratulations Carter," said Jack, forcing a small smile on his face, he handed back the ring and walked out onto the back deck.

"Sir!" said Sam following after him. "Sir I don't know what to do….. That's why I came here ……I …..I don't know what to tell him."

"You didn't give him an answer?" asked Jack, looking up in surprise.

"I told you," she said quietly, looking down at her hands. "I don't know what do."

"Sam," Jack said softly, moving a little closer to her.

She gave a small laugh. "I guess I just always thought that someday….we'd….you know."

"Me too. We're two people who weren't meant to fall in love but did," he said quietly. He walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, resting them there for a few minutes before letting them slide down her arms. Taking her hands in his, he looked her straight in the eye. "Pete cares for you a lot. And he's a normal guy. He's not off fighting aliens seven days a week. He can provide you with a normal, stable life. He's a good guy Sam."

"But he's not you," she said softly.

The moment was bittersweet. Sam had once again offered her heart to him, but he couldn't take it. Jack's heart ached at what he was about to say next. But it wasn't fair to Sam to keep her hopes up on just a "maybe". Because as much as he wanted her; more than anything else, neither of them had any way of knowing what the future held.

He sighed. "Carter, I don't know what's gonna happen in the future. Heck I could die tomorrow on a mission –"

"-don't say that," said Sam looking up at him with wide, alarmed eyes.

But he held up a finger, silencing her. "OR I could end up in a stuffy little office somewhere, signing papers for the next ten years. You deserve to be happy NOW. And Pete can offer you that."

"I know," she whispered, a single tear trickling down her cheek.

Jack's heart broke into a million pieces as he showed her the door. "Goodbye…..Sam."

"Goodbye sir." _Goodbye._


	2. Deja Vu

***Several months later***

Sam was getting a strong déjà vu feeling. Just a few months ago, she sat in the driveway at Jack's cabin, willing herself to go in. Now, here she was again, sitting in her car, trying to pluck up the courage to go inside.

A few weeks ago, her father had passed away, and as she watched him pass, Jack was there for her, never leaving her side, and being a shoulder to cry on. It was then that she began to realize that she hadn't moved on from Jack, and that she couldn't be with anyone else. In all fairness, Pete had tried his best to console her in the days following, but he wasn't Jack.

Knock knock

When Jack opened the door and saw Sam standing there, he have her a gentle, sympathetic smile. "Carter," he said softly, "come on in." Inside the cabin, he led her into the living room, sitting down on the couch, and patting the seat next to him. As she sat down, he took the time to look at her, and he noticed the frown and worry lines on her forehead, and the empty, but nervous look on her face. "How are you holding up?"

She offered him a small smile. "I'm doing okay sir."

"Carter…" he said in a tone that implied that he knew that she was lying.

"Sir" she said looking up from her hands, "I wanted to thank you for being there when my dad…"

Jack placed his hand on hers. "You know that I'm here for you. And that I always will be." His voice dropped a few decimals, "just as I'm sure that Pete-"

"- I broke up with Pete…..sir," she blurted out.

"What?" said Jack looking up in surprise.

"I realized that after my father died, I couldn't do it anymore. Living a life with him…..planning a wedding….when my heart wasn't in it."

"Carter losing someone that you love is a very traumatic event. So many emotions are running through your mind, that you're not thinking straight. Trust me."

Sam's head shot up, her eyebrows furrowed. "You think I made a rash decision? You think I'm an emotional wreck?"

Jack knew that he'd pissed her off, so he chose his next words carefully. "Sam, you had just lost your father….." he said gently. "You have every right to be emotional. There's nothing wrong with that. It's NOT a weakness. But I saw how upset you were remember?"

"Exactly!" she said standing up off the couch. "You came to me as soon as I called you. And you never left my side the entire time! That's when I realized…"

"Carter, Pete's your fiancé. I'm sure-"

"- but I want you," she said softly, turning back towards him. Jack looked up and saw her looking at him. Their eyes locked for a few moments, unspoken words expressed in their glances. "Sir you're right," she said, breaking the silence. "Pete was so kind. He even took time off work to be with me. But….. but every time that he held me, and comforted me, the only thing running through my mind was how badly I wished that it was your arms that I was in."

Only then did she realize that Jack was now standing right in front of her, a strange expression in his eyes, his face only inches from her own. The closeness of his body gave her butterflies in her stomach, and sent chills down her spine. "I don't want to be with anybody else," she breathed, her voice shaky.

Suddenly his lips were on hers, kissing her face as if she were life itself. And she willingly obliged, meeting his passion with her own. The kiss was powerful and intense, both of them releasing years of pent up emotions. As lips parted, and tongues dances, their hands explored; moving over each others bodies, pulling each other closer. When breathing became difficult, they pulled away just long enough to get another breath. Sam soon found herself nestled between Jack and the wall, which Jack took full advantage of, assaulting her with more kisses.

Eventually Sam's hands found their way under Jack's shirt, and Jack's own hands were desperately trying to undo the buttons on Sam's shirt. But reality came crashing down on Sam and she pulled away slightly. "Jack," she breathed as he trailed kisses down her neck, causing a warm sensation in her stomach and her knees to turn to jell-o. "Sir," she said a little louder, trying to get hold of her emotions. "Sir we can't," she said into his ear. Jack stopped and looked at her. "Sir the regs……our careers."

He shook his head, trying to come back to his senses. "No you're right Carter." He rested his forehead against hers as they both caught their breaths and slowed down their erratic heart beats. "Damn!" he said punching his fist into the wall behind Sam, and then wincing at the sharp pain.

"Hey," said Sam gently, placing a soft kiss on his injured hand. "We'll work it out." She wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight hug and rested her head on his chest. He too wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight against him, resting his head in the crook of her neck.

"Wait for me," he said softly.

"What?" she asked confused.

"Wait for me. I don't know how long it'll be, but I can't be your CO forever. I promise you that one day I will make this work. What do you say Carter? Will you wait for me?"

She grinned at him. "Of course I'll wait. I already told you. You're who I want to be with. No one else."

"It could be a long wait," he said smiling at her.

She smiled back brightly. "Yeah, but the end makes it worth the wait."


	3. No More Waiting

*** A few years later***

Just coming back from a brief trip to Atlantis, Sam walked down the ramp of the Stargate, weary from the mission. "Welcome back Colonel," greeted General Landry.

Sam smiled, "Thank you sir, it's good to be back."

The General nodded. "Good. Debriefing will be in 18:00 hours." Sam nodded in acknowledgement. "Dismissed."

Picking up her gear, she headed down the corridor, anxious for a hot shower. As the elevator doors opened, she stepped in without even looking up. "Carter!"

Sam's head shot up at the sound of his voice, and she saw Jack standing across from her, leaning against the wall of the elevator, with a grin on his face. "Sir!" she said surprised, her stomach filling with the familiar fluttering of butterflies. "I didn't know you were on base."

"I just got here," he replied, eyeing her rucksack.

"I just got back from Atlantis," she said, then saw the twinkling in his eye. "But you already knew that."

Jack smiled smugly. "One of the perks of being head of Homeworld Security."

Sam grinned, allowing a small eye roll. "Sooo….what brings you to the SGC?" she asked a little awkwardly.

"To see you," he said seriously, looking directly into her eyes.

"Oh," she breathed, meeting his gaze.

"Is there somewhere we could talk privately?"

At that point the elevator dinged, notifying them that they had reached their destination. "Yeah, follow me sir." Sam led him down the hallway to her quarters.

Jack looked around approvingly. "I see you got an upgrade."

Sam smiled. "Perks of being a Colonel." Jack grinned at her witty response. "Uh sir, would you mind waiting here, just for a few minutes?" He raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Sir I just got back, I wouldn't mind freshening up really quickly."

Jack's lips twitched with amusement. "Go ahead Carter. Shower…..change…..powder your nose."

"Thanks sir. Just give me fifteen minutes," she said as she walked out of the room. "Make yourself at home!" she added, glancing back over her shoulder.

Thirteen minutes later, a clean, and freshly clothed Sam walked back into her room, carefully closing the door behind her, to see Jack laying down comfortably on her bed. At the sound of her entering, Jack sat up. "That was quick."

"Sorry for making you wait sir."

Jack shrugged, standing up. "Not a problem Carter. Besides, you're back now, so I'm done waiting…..and so are you," he added softly.

Sam's head shot up, "sir?"

He walked over to her, closing the distance between them. "You don't have to wait for me anymore Carter. I'm done….I'm retiring."

The thought of Jack retiring unleashed a flood of different emotions. "Retire?" was all she was able to say.

"Yup, this time on Friday, I will no longer be General Jack O'Neill, but just….Jack."

"So soon?" Sam asked quietly still sorting out her thoughts and feelings on the subject.

"Well my service contract came up for renewal this week, and I figured now was just as good a time as any." He took her hands in his. "Besides, I've been keeping someone waiting for awhile now."

A warm smile spread across Sam's face, and she threw her arms around his neck, as he pulled her into a tight embrace. She buried her face into the side of his neck. "It hasn't been easy," she mumbled into his shirt.

"I'm sorry Carter. I kept you waiting for so long."

"Shhh," she said putting a finger on his lips. "I made it didn't I?.....We made it."

Jack smiled back at her. "You're right," he said pulling her back into a hug. "Come to my cabin with me this weekend," he whispered into her ear.

"THIS weekend?"

"How many years have we been waiting for this Carter?"

Sam smiled. "Too many."

Jack leaned a little closer to her. "Do you think the regs would mind?....."

Sam's heart rate sky-rocketed at his proximity and what he hinted. "I think they'd be ok, as you are retiring on Friday," she breathed, her voice shaking slightly.

"Good," said Jack grinning, leaning in and brushing his lips softly over hers. Unfortunately, the kiss was cut short by an announcement over the intercom.

"General O'Neill to the briefing room. General O'Neill to the briefing room."

Jack smiled smugly and put his hat back on. "Duty calls." Sam nodded. "Friday?"

"Friday."

Jack smiled. "Good."

Sam watched him walk across the room to the door. "Sir!"

Jack turned around just in time to find Sam planting a passionate kiss on his lips. Letting each other go a few seconds later, Jack finally made his way out into the hallway, casting one last glace at Sam on his way. "See ya Friday, Carter."


	4. Friday

Is it possible to have deja vu twice? In less than five years, Sam found herself sitting now three times in her car, in the exact same spot in the driveway of Jack's cabin. The first time almost four years ago, she had gone to him with Pete's ring in her pocket, hoping for answers, but leaving heartbroken. The second time was nearly six months after that, unable to move on, she had gone back to him with her heart on her sleeve, that time leaving with a hopeful heart. Then, everything between the two of them had been resolved. After years of waiting, Jack was now retired, and no longer her CO, they were free to pursue a relationship.

So what was keeping her in the car this time? She admitted honestly to herself that it was fear. For so long her heart had been kept alive on the hope that someday they would be together. But now that that moment was here, she was nervous. How was she to act? What should she say? Would it be awkward? Would it be easy like when they were at work? Between her unstable nerves and the butterflies in her stomach, it took a lot of willpower to get out of the car.

Knock knock

"Carter!" said Jack, smiling warmly at her, as he opened the door.

"Sir," Jack gave her a look at the use of the formality. "Jack," she corrected.

"Sam."

"Uhhh I'm sorry I'm a little late, I didn't know if you wanted me to bring a dessert, so I stopped to pick up…." She opened out of the bags she was carrying to reveal a large container of blue jell-o.

"You know me too well Carter."

"The entire SGC knows how much you like blue jell-o," she replied, shifting the weight of her bags to the other hand.

Jack let out a short laugh before he saw her struggling with the bags. "Geez, I forgot about your stuff, here, let me take that," he said taking the grocery bag from her," and com on in." He headed over to the kitchen to put the desert in the fridge. "Food should be done soon. It's uhh been a while since I've cooked for uhhh more than one."

Sam smiled sensing his discomfort and she knew how he felt. She stood inside the hallway, her overnight bag hanging over her shoulder, not sure what to do with it. Would she sleep on the couch? Would Jack offer to take the couch? Would they both share his bed? A warm sensation ran through her turning up more butterflies in her stomach at the thought of them……She had always fantasized about sleeping with Jack, but she didn't know how this would play out this weekend. Would they take up where they left off years ago, practically undressing each other? Or would they take it slow? Start off by just enjoying each other's company?

"Sam?" Jack's voice from the kitchen brought her back to reality.

"Uhh yeah?"

"Food's ready."

"Ah. Coming." Deciding to place her bag in the corner of the living room to deal with later, she walked into the kitchen. "Mmmm smells good," she said sniffing the air. "Better than my cooking anyway," giving him a smug look. "Besides anything looks great compared to mess hall food."

Jack looked at her sarcastically. "Oh you are just dishing out the compliments tonight."

"Sorry si…..Jack. No really….it smells really good."

"Good," he said letting out a nervous laugh. "Cause honestly Carter, I didn't really know what you liked, or how hungry you'd be or....."

"Jack," she said cutting him off. "We're both making this more awkward than it needs to be." She walked over to him and put her hand on his arm. "We've been friends for a very long time, and …..complicated for almost as long. But we've always been close, and comfortable, and easy with each other."

Jack smiled down at her and pulled her into a soft hug. "You're right. We need to stop over thinking everything and just be……normal." Sam looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Well, as normal as we can be."

Sam smiled and wriggled out of the embrace. "Well then you better start serving this food, because I'm starved."

**SG1 SG1 SG1 SG1 SG1 SG1 SG1 SG1 SG1**

The late evening found the two of them sitting in front of the fireplace reminiscing about old missions; the successes, the failures, the narrow escapes from death. A particular memory involving Daniel and an infatuated alien woman caused Jack to laugh out loud. "What?" he asked, catching the look on Sam's face.

She leant into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Nothing," she said smiling. "It's just….I've waited so long for this, that it's hard to believe that we're actually here."

He pulled her close to him. "I know. But I'm glad we are," he said as he brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"Somedays it felt as if we'd be waiting forever."

"I know. But I didn't want to do anything that would jeopardize your career. It had to be this way, you know that right?"

Sam nodded into his shirt. "Still…..it felt like forever."

Slowly Jack pulled back and cupper her cheek in his hand. "I want to do this right Sam. We've both waited so long and I don't want to screw anything up."

Sam leant into his hand and smiled. "Jack, I don't know if you hadn't noticed over the past decade, and all of our dealings with alternate realities, but it would seem as if we're a universal constant. So I think it would take something pretty big to screw this up."

Jack grinned. "Clearly Carter, you don't me well enough. I'm the KING of screwing things up."

Laughing at Jack's joke on himself, Sam leant her forehead against his, staring into each other's eyes, enjoying the intimacy of the moment. Then, with careful gentleness, Jack tilted his head until his lips brushed against hers. Unlike the intense and raging kiss that they shared years ago, this one was slow and tender. They took their time to enjoy the feel of each other, while they kissed.

Slowly, Sam leant backwards, hands on Jack's shirt, pulling him down with her. Still lip-locked, the two maneuvered themselves into a lying position; Sam nestled firmly between Jack and the couch cushions. Suddenly Jack rolled off to the side. "What's wrong?" asked Sam, looking worried.

"It's nothing, I just……I told you that I don't' want to mess this up….Do you think we're going to fast? I mean I only just retired today."

Sam smiled and ran her fingers through his graying hair. "Jack, we've known each other for ten years, and I've waited for you for nearly half that time. I don't think you can take it much slower than that." Jack smiled. "Let's just see what happens," she said pushing herself up against him.

"Hmmmmm I like the sound of that," he replied with a mischievous grin on his face, before catching her lips again.


	5. Together

Jack woke up the next morning feeling good……really good. Turning over onto his side, his breath caught in his chest. Next to him, tangled up in his sheets, was a sleeping Samantha Carter. She looked so beautiful, the exposed skin on her shoulders and bare back glowed in the soft morning sunlight filtering in through the window. He took advantage of the moment, memorizing every detail of her, from the perfumey scent of her hair to the silky softness of her legs that poked out from under the sheets. As memories of the past night drifted through his mind, he thought to himself that if this is what retired life was about, he could get used to this.

Sam let out a soft moan as she rolled over, and Jack suddenly found himself staring into a pair of brilliant blue eyes. A smile spread across her face as she saw the way that he looked at her. "Good morning," she said as she placed a kiss on his lips.

"Mmmmmm, good morning," he mumbled into her lips.

After sharing another kiss, Sam rested her head on his chest, with an arm draped across him. A couple minutes past of cuddling passed before Sam propped herself up on one elbow and looked up into Jack's face. "Was it what you thought it'd be?"

"What, what would be?" Jack asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Not that!" Sam exclaimed, slapping him playfully. "You know…..this…..us," she said, her hand gesturing between the two of them.

"I've been waiting…..dreaming of this day for so many years. I pictured every scenario. And it's a hundred times better that I ever imagined. Certain activities included," he added winking at her. "Would it be too much if I asked you to come up next weekend as well?"

I'll have to clear my schedule, but I'm sure I could squeeze you in."

Pulling her into his arms, he took her hands in his. "What about the weekend after that?"

She grinned. "Definitely not."

"Good," he said, kissing the top of her head.

**SG1 SG1 SG1 SG1 SG1 SG1 SG1 SG1 SG1 SG1**

*** 2 days later ***

Later that afternoon, after Jack had finally convinced Sam to go fishing with him, Sam found herself sitting on the dock, nestled between Jack's legs, reading. "Are you sure you don't want to fish?" he asked her, casting out his line again.

She looked back at him and smiled. "I think we've established that I can't fish."

Jack let out a laugh. The sound of the phone broke the two out of their "moment." "Dammit, and just when they were starting to bite," he said as he disentangled himself from Sam, and headed into the house. Sam rolled her eyes. "Hey Daniel!" She heard him say. "What's up?" A few seconds later, Jack came back out of the house. "It's for you," he said holding the phone out to her.

"Hello? Daniel? How did you know I was here?"

"Sam, it's the first weekend of Jack's retirement. Where else would you be?"

Sam made a face. "That obvious huh?"

She could imagine Daniel shrugging. "A little. Anyways General Landry wants us in early tomorrow morning."

"But we don't gate out 'till the afternoon."

"I don't make the rules Sam."

She sighed. "Alright I'll be there. Thanks for calling."

"No problem…..have fun."

She heard the tone in his voice and rolled her eyes again. "Bye Daniel." Putting the phone down she looked over at Jack who had a slightly disappointed expression on his face.

"Going back early?"

Sam looked at him with a similar expression. "I'm sorry. But I've got orders."

Jack pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "I could over-rule those orders."

"You retired remember?" she said into his shirt. "It means that I have to leave tonight, instead of tomorrow morning."

He squeezed her gently. "I don't like this."

Sam pulled back, laughing lightly. "Listen to us. We're complaining about being separated during the week, when we've been hundreds of miles apart for years now. Plus," she said. "You'll be here when I come back."

"You're right Carter. And as you're leaving me tonight…."Jack scooped Sam up into his arms. "We'll have to make up for lost time," he said with a mischievous grin on his face.

Sam put both hands on the side of his face and kissed him deeply as he carried her back into the house, towards the bedroom. "Better make it good then," she grinned.


End file.
